pool

At the pool at The Southern Inn. Camden, Alabama. July 2012. The motel that Lucy and I stayed in while visiting in Gee's Bend happened to be hosting a rather large (and loud) family reunion the week that we were staying.The reunion was large, the family was large, and many of the individuals were large. Lucy befriended most all of the girls, and insisted on spending hours in the tepid, cloudy water. I much preferred swimming in the Alabama River, but usually Lucy's desires prevailed. Despite the fact that I often had to translate communications for Lucy, she had a grand time with her many new best friends.

Hats!!!!

Lucy models winter hats. Squnny and chicken. Made of high quality polar fleece and recycled wool. Quilted! Doubled for extra warmth! Soft! Stylish! Contact me to order one...

16th July 2012, Monday

Pictured are 3 headstones from a cemetery in Gee's Bend. I had been to Church the day before in Mound Bayou, Mississippi. King Solomon's wisdom was the subject of Bible study for the day in the tiny country church. The story was about 2 harlots living in the same house; they had each had a baby boy within a few days of each other. One night one of the women "overlaid" her baby, smothering him. This mother then tried to claim that the living baby boy was her own baby. The women went to King Solomon to resolve the dispute. He proposed that they split the living baby in half with a sword, and each keep one half of him. At this point the true mother says that the other mother can just keep the baby. This is the moment when King Solomon knows that the woman who would give the baby up is the true mother as she possesses the depth of feeling for the living baby. As I had never read this section of the bible, I was a bit surprised and disturbed. But then the reflection and conversation among the congregation was quite deep and sensitive. A few women reminded the group of the need for us to be empathetic and careful, as some had experienced various issues with parenting infants. One woman recalled an accident that had happened when her child was an infant. After joining in on Sunday school at the little wooden church, I was taken down the road to a bigger brick building for church service. As I didn't have a bible with me, the woman I was sitting next to let me look over her shoulder at her smart phone. She had an app that enabled her to pull up any verse of the bible. Although she was fully and enthusiastically engaged in the service, she managed to text frequently during the 2 hours that we were seated next to each other. ,,,,

Roosevelt House

Ruth Kennedy lives in one of the "Roosevelt Houses" on Gee's Bend. These houses were built during the Depression as part of a federal program. All kinds of things were going on at that time- the program included a health center, school, education for adults, and much more. Many residents were able to buy these houses and land from the federal government. The property was relatively inexpensive and low interest loans were available. For people who had been sharecroppers, the freedom of owning property was liberating. During the voting rights movement, owning land was a huge advantage, as many sharecroppers were booted off of their land as retaliation for political action. Ruth's late husband added on to the original Roosevelt house. It is a beautiful home. Light, airy, warm.

Up close...

Ruth Kennedy with two different quilts. The hand quilting makes for beautiful texture. When she was a girl, Ruth's dad managed the cotton gin. He'd always save leftover tufts of cotton that he'd then give to the women to use as quilt batting. Ruth spoke of the importance of removing the cotton seeds from the fluff; otherwise the oils would stain the finished quilt. Ruth speaks of memories of evening quilting sessions- the festive and creative action of gathering around the quilt frame; working, chatting, gossiping. At the end of the evening, the quilt would be hung from the ceiling in order to accommodate the daytime use of the space.

Ruth Kennedy

Here's one of the oldest quilters in Gee's Bend. Another wonderful woman who is still very productive. She has vivid memories of quilting throughout years and years of life. Both the communal creativity of a quilting bee and the individual expression and improvisation of piecing come to life in her conversation. "We would just put pieces together and then make up our quilt names- lazy gal, house top, pig in a pen...". She is very kind and generous.

Here she is with a quilt, and with Lucy Storz.